Lewis Hamilton captures third F1 Championship with win at 2015 US Grand Prix

Third time is the sweetest for Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton just snatched his third World Drivers’ Championship crown following a brilliant win at the United States Grand Prix.

The US Grand Prix was likewise a sweet event for Mercedes, as its Silver Arrows accomplished a one-two finish, with Nico Rosberg tailing Hamilton at the finish line. This would go down in history as the 25th one-two finish for the Silver Arrows in Formula One.

Remarkably, it marks the 50th time for a Mercedes-Benz engine to achieve this win. At second, Rosberg was able to capture his 12th podium finish this season and the 38th of his Formula One career. Mercedes AMG Petronas currently leads the Constructors' Championship, followed by Ferrari with a 200-point difference.

Hamilton’s US Grand Prix dominance is his 10th this season, and the 43rd in his Formula One career. He also became the first driver to capture ten or more wins in consecutive seasons. Additionally, he is now the 10th driver to win three or more Formula One titles.

While Hamilton is the second Briton – next to Sir Jackie Stewart -- to win three Formula One championships, he is the only one who succeeded to defend his crown. He also matched the prowess of his boyhood inspiration, the legendary Senna Ayrton.

Hamilton described his win as overwhelming, and he took the opportunity to reminisce his first British Championship, when he and his father went home singing ‘We Are the Champions.’ Hamilton said that his family and his fans served as inspiration, adding that he hopes that he could inspire them to never give up on their hopes and dreams.

He described the race to be amazing as well as crazy, adding that anything could have happened while those in the lead kept changing throughout the race. Now that he was able to match Ayrton, Hamilton remarked that there isn’t anyone whose record he wants to surpass.

Right now, his focus is only continuing his career as long as possible. He also thanked his team for the win. Rosberg, meanwhile, congratulated Hamilton on the win, saying that the Briton deserves the win.

He, however, expressed frustration in the Turn One incident just right after start, which saw Hamilton overtaking Rosberg for the early lead. He said the incident hurts very much. Rosberg claimed that Hamilton failed to leave enough space and drove into him, saying that the Briton took a “step too far” as he had taken the lead in the middle of that corner.

Rosberg, however, said that this incident is something the teammates can talk about some other time. Toto Wolff, Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport, also extended his congratulations to Hamilton, saying that the Briton has driven like a Champion all season.

He remarked that after taking a third championship, they are expecting more from Hamilton – something that is possible if Mercedes keeps on delivering a car capable of doing the job. Wolff also remarked that 2015 is an “unlucky year” for Rosberg in several ways, although he has always been showing his fighting spirit.

He commented that Hamilton had the World Champion’s luck on his side. He also described the recent US Grand Prix as “a fantastic race from start to finish.” Wolff noted that on the pits, the race was a very difficult one to manage, as there were many decisions to make and there have been many marginal calls with the safety cars.

He also called the Turn One incident a tense moment that had upset Rosberg, mentioning that a driver is never completely happy if a rival is winning. Wolff said that moving forward to the three remaining races, it is crucial not to let the incident lead to additional consequences.